I think both Herschel and Lori's baby will be gone by the end of the season. I don't think the writers will ask the viewers to believe that either could survive in that world without a safe haven and I think the writers have been showing us that those just don't exist in that world. At least permanently.

The writers also seem to like killing off characters the viewers have an investment in, rather than minor characters ( ie T-Dog ).

TV characters often get pregnant along with the actors who play them and the babies seem to conveniently go away after the actors have had them. I'm thinking of Peggy from Mad Men. I'm guessing that the actor who plays Lori is pregnant and her character's baby will go away.

I wouldn't underestimate the writers to let that baby live, though it's a huge liability (crying baby when you're trying to hide from zombies?!). I'm thinking of Claire and the island on LOST. I totally thought that baby Aaron would die because they're on a crazy island, but nope.

I thought I remembered them (or maybe just Rick or someone?) looking at it from a distance. I could be wrong though, it's not like I've rewatched season 2 yet or anything.

They didn't see it. At the end of Season 1, the camera panned out and we as viewers saw the prison in the distance, but they were still lost and in the dark.

A lot of time has passed. I'm assuming an entire season, because Andrea tells awesome zombie killing ninja that "I kept you alive all winter" and Carl mentions to Beth in the prisons "you remember the storage units?" We're supposed to assume that a lot has gone on while we were waiting.

Other things:

Hershel's beard is amazing.

Rick killing that jerk prisoner was awesome, though I found it pretty heartless of him to let that other prisoner get turned into a walker. I thought their code was just to kill people if necessary instead of making another walker? I was excited about the prisoner angle, but the fact that the big guy has been bitten that leaves only the little guy with the sweet 'stache. The prisoner angle reminds me a lot of Y: The Last Man...anyone read that comic? I don't want to spoil anything.

I find Carl's little crush on Beth to be weeeeird. I'm not ready for pubescent Carl.

I think Rick is just burned out. HIs hair has greyed and he's fed up with a lot. He's just surviving now and doesn't have time for Lori's emotional BS. Also, I think he's not feeling connected to that baby since it's Shane's. I'm assuming he's just grieving. He had to kill his best friend. Pretty brutal.

I can't WAIT to find out how zombie slasher lady keeps those zombie pets. I can see that she's cut off their arms and jaws, but they still have the instinct to kill, don't they? I can't see how they wouldn't just rip each other apart being connected like that (like the zombie in cuffs ripping his own hand off) unless they can be trained or communicated with. I really want more of that story line. And I actually like Andrea, so I hope they find some medicine for her soon.

I can't WAIT to find out how zombie slasher lady keeps those zombie pets. I can see that she's cut off their arms and jaws, but they still have the instinct to kill, don't they? I can't see how they wouldn't just rip each other apart being connected like that (like the zombie in cuffs ripping his own hand off) unless they can be trained or communicated with. I really want more of that story line. And I actually like Andrea, so I hope they find some medicine for her soon.

Yes, it seems like she keeps them to carry stuff for her. Pretty good idea!

About the time, it was the beginning of winter in the the season finale, and now it's the beginning of summer. Also, it's not confirmed that the baby is Shane's, it could be Rick's.

I can't WAIT to find out how zombie slasher lady keeps those zombie pets. I can see that she's cut off their arms and jaws, but they still have the instinct to kill, don't they? I can't see how they wouldn't just rip each other apart being connected like that (like the zombie in cuffs ripping his own hand off) unless they can be trained or communicated with. I really want more of that story line. And I actually like Andrea, so I hope they find some medicine for her soon.

Yes, it seems like she keeps them to carry stuff for her. Pretty good idea!

About the time, it was the beginning of winter in the the season finale, and now it's the beginning of summer. Also, it's not confirmed that the baby is Shane's, it could be Rick's.

Ah, okay! I thought for some reason that it was definitively Shane's, but I like the idea that it could be Rick's. I mean, it will be his anyway, right? I'm foreseeing him getting back with Lori and them raising a family in the prison.

Here's a question....in the preview for the upcoming episodes they show a helicopter crashing down. Is that supposed the same helicopter that flew over head in the pilot episode?

Def think the baby could be Rick's or Shane's! (DRAMA) And that at the end of season 2 we saw the prison but they had no idea it was there. But weren't Hershel and his family living right near there? Why wouldn't he be like Hey Rick there's a prison near by!

The preview of next week's episode that they showed in The Talking Dead, has Merle in it. He is back!

I'm looking forward to next week. Atlantic Monthly had a post-episode roundtable, and in it, one of the essayists said "In a recent, revealing tweet, Walking Dead showrunner Glen Mazzara [he's one of the producers] said that every writer on the series is required to read psychiatrist Viktor Frankl's legendary concentration camp narrative, Man's Search for Meaning."

I'm really excited to see more of Andrea and sword chick. Partially because that means less Carl, partially because I think Sword Chick probably made Andrea into a bad-ass and I could use some strong female characters. Well, I think Carol is on her way to being pretty great if she doesn't get eaten. But zombie corpse surgery. Ew.

I also mentioned to my husband about the bites/scratches turning people even though they're already infected and his response made me feel pretty stupid for not thinking of it before:

Him "Zombie bites and scratches cause a major infection and they die."Me "And a fence doesn't? People get scratched and cut all the time, what's special about zombies?"Him "Zombies are rotting flesh, so when they rip and tear the skin they put in all the grossness that is their rotting bodies. It causes a massive infection, they get a fever, they die. Fences aren't made of rotting human."Me "Pffft. That makes NO sense at all"

That even explains cutting off the leg to save Hershel's life. No wound, no infection.

i'm never going to let go of jenner's comment about how it invades the brain like meningitis (whatever "it" is). yeah, sure, the medical community gets stuff wrong, and of course you'll get sick if a load of bacteria from a necrotic zombie mouth finds its way into your bloodstream (i know people who've had to be hospitalized for cat bites), but you gave me this very specific information, writing team, and I WILL NOT FORGET IT.

_________________"rise from the ashes of douchebaggery like a fancy vegan phoenix" - amandabear"I'm pretty sure the moral of this story is: fork pants." - cq

I'm really excited to see more of Andrea and sword chick. Partially because that means less Carl, partially because I think Sword Chick probably made Andrea into a bad-ass and I could use some strong female characters.

I know! And they've been suspiciously absent. I mean, a little in the first ep, but now bubkis.

So yeah, wow. I finally got around to watching this week's episode, and dang. That was unexpected, even with the fairly cheap Hershel moment. I kinda thought the prisoners would hang around longer being all dramatically tense and having some kind of conflict moment every episode, but I guess not. No screwing around there, dang. It was actually kind of satisfying.

I think that after last season they must have realized that this is make-or-break time and they'd better get the audience back and hang onto them since another season like last time around would basically alienate even the hardcore fans, so now it's action time wheee!

I kinda thought the prisoners would hang around longer being all dramatically tense and having some kind of conflict moment every episode, but I guess not. No screwing around there, dang. It was actually kind of satisfying.

Right? My husband and I were just like "HE NEEDS TO KILL THAT GUY" the whole time since we met that bossy prisoner jerk.

yes, please, don't mention stuff that's in the comics, even if it doesn't seem like a major spoiler. this show is so intense and surprising that some people don't want to know a single thing, even a character's name.

_________________I am not a troll. I am TELLING YOU THE ******GOD'S TRUTH****** AND YOU JUST DON'T WANT THE HEAR IT DO YOU?